Mountaintop or Valley?

That was the question posed during worship this morning. Are you on a mountaintop or in a valley? So after I had to leave the worship/service because Elizabeth is becoming more vocal, which is a good thing!, I contemplated that question. This afternoon I realized that I am neither in a valley or on a mountaintop and I am not somewhere in between in the calm foothills. I am hanging from a sheer mountain face, trying to climb the mountain, but with the valley looming ominously below me waiting to swallow me. Now why would I say this?! Everybody has hard times and they do seem to come in seasons of highs and lows. But for us EVERYDAY is filled with peaks and valleys. struggles- Dr. appointments, therapy appointments, cooking gluten free, having a child that's casein free as well!, advocating for my ADHD child, communicating with Elizabeth, feeding Elizabeth, homeschooling a 5th grader and 3rd grader and two in K/preK, keeping the house somewhat sanitized with five children, two dogs and a cat- I am not talking clean freak clean, just livable. victories- Elizabeth is verbalizing more and she is finger feeding herself more foods, my ADHD child is responding to the gluten/casein free diet, our colds didn't last too long, no one else got Mr. M's stomach bug, the generosity of people giving us clothes for Elizabeth, Mr. M is learning letter sounds, long division is becoming less of a laborious task, God provides the money to eat gluten free, Mr. M and Elizabeth are getting the specialized help that they each need, God provided the money for Elizabeth's adoption.
If I stop and think about all that is necessary everyday just for "normal" living, I want to crawl in bed and sleep because just thinking about it makes me exhausted. I feel that I am not doing a half way decent job of anything. One step forward and two steps back. That's the way things have been going. Especially when LIFE happens- a dear friend's marriage is ending, insurance doesn't cover hearing aids, our house didn't sell... But if I can look past my disappointments and look at all that God is doing in our lives, I am overcome with gratitude. I serve a big God who can create the whole world and still cares about even the little things in my life. He knows that I feel like I am hanging on for life and He is giving me the strength to keep hanging on and work my way up to the mountaintop. (the picture is one of our mountaintop moments)